


island in the sun

by regionals



Category: I Don't Know How But They Found Me (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 10:24:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16093736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regionals/pseuds/regionals
Summary: Falling in love isn't what it's like in the movies, at least not for Ryan. He's not a dramatic person when it comes down to it and falling in love, for him, isn't really some huge event.





	island in the sun

**Author's Note:**

> yea i title all my fics after weezer songs/references fight me fam  
> anyways we out here  
> weekman rise

Ryan meets Dallon in his early twenties, and they're both awkward and weird and lost in that way people are when they're in their twenties. Dallon's tall and gangly and not quite grown into himself quite yet. He crouches down and slouches a lot and tries making himself look smaller and Ryan's first impression of him is a subtle thought in the back of his head that he's cute.

He's cute and he's goofy and he's funny and he's _nice._ Ryan doesn't trust him for the first few months they know each other, because he's expecting him to turn out to be a douchebag, but he winds up living up to all the hype and, in fact, being an absolute sweetheart.

*

Ryan's sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a Taco Bell at four in the morning, eating a taco, when he bitterly thinks that movies get it all wrong when it comes to falling in love. It's always portrayed as something drawn out and romantic and as if all these feelings just hit you all at once, whereas for him it's not like that at all.

He's not in Paris at the top of the Eiffel Tower brushing a lock of hair out of Dallon's face and telling him that he's in love with him or anything stupid like that. They're sitting in a Taco Bell in _Provo_ at four in the morning and Ryan feels a small glimmer of light in his heart, and it's more or less just a small, intimate little _oh_ sort of moment.

Dallon has a bit of a cold and he's sipping at a plastic cup of Sprite, and picking at a small dish of nachos when Ryan realizes he loves him. The bags under his eyes are dark and he's a little clammy looking, and his hair is all over the place and he obviously hasn't shaved in a few weeks, and, really, he looks like a mess, but Ryan likes him like this. He likes it when he's not worried about looking all nice and proper and _snazzy._ (That's not to say he doesn't like it when he _is_ like that, though, because he likes Dallon all the time.)

Ryan reaches across the table and offers his hand to Dallon, who just looks at it for a few moments before clearing his nose in the least attractive way possible, and placing his hand in Ryan's. They don't talk about it, because there really isn't a lot to talk about.

*

Ryan's next _oh_ moment, the next major one, happens on a night Dallon decides it's a good idea to sneak into Ryan's bunk with the excuse that he's _cold._ Ryan just grunts when Dallon explains himself, and if Dallon were _anyone else,_ Ryan would've shoved him out, but it's sweet and gentle _Dallon,_ so he scoots forward, and lets Dallon spoon him before either of them are falling asleep. It's a tight fit and it's sort of uncomfortable but Ryan's too tired and his heart is too full of affection for him to give a shit.

*

Ryan's heart breaks a little bit when the band splits up. Sure, he wasn't a founding member of The Brobecks or anything, and he wasn't with them for _that_ long, but Dallon has to make a call. He has to pick between staying in his apartment or the band, and when it comes down to it, he values _not_ being homeless, and Ryan isn't mad at him for it.

Ryan also needs to find something else to pay his own rent, because between part time jobs and whatever gigs the band could get, he was barely getting by. It just didn't _cut it._

And of course, of _course,_ Dallon moves to stupid California, since he lands a cushy gig with a bigger band, whereas Ryan stays in Utah, and sure, they text and they keep in contact and sometimes they video call on Skype, but it's not the same and Ryan's the first to admit that it shatters him a little bit.

*

The next six years or so go by without any massive _oh_ moments, and Ryan almost forgets that he has feelings for Dallon until he's at his condo, and they're in their underwear on the floor in his living room with notebook papers strewn about with lyrics and chords scribbled onto them. Ryan's a little hopped up on an energy drink that he had that evening before a show with the band he's playing for, and he's pretty sure Dallon's at least fairly balls deep in a manic episode while they bounce ideas off of each other.

For the most part, this is for fun--bouncing ideas off of each other and getting all of that pent up creativity out and onto paper, and solidified.

It stays that way, for a few months at least, until it starts to become more serious and their ideas start to take on a mind of their own, morphing into something bigger than they thought it'd be. They were expecting to come up with a few songs, for fun, but a few songs turns into more songs and ideas turn into a whole new band and Ryan feels it for the first time in a long time-- _passion._

They talk about it, talk about how _great_ it feels to be passionate again and Ryan can't help feeling this fleeting feeling of being at home. It's like someone breathed life into him again, except that someone happened to be Dallon.

*

Ryan doesn't realized how much he loves Dallon or how much he missed touring with him until they're crammed onto a tour bus again. It's late--late enough that they should both be asleep, but they're sitting up in the front of the bus, and Ryan leans towards Dallon to kiss him.

Dallon meets him halfway and Ryan finally thinks to say, "God, I fuckin' love you, man."

Dallon starts laughing, sweetly and quietly before returning the sentiment.


End file.
